Drug Shortages in Canada, 2019-2023: A Descriptive Study

Context: Drug shortages impact patients from all countries. According to the Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union, most Europe countries reported a worsening of shortages in 2023.

Objective: To describe drug shortage episodes in Canada over a recent 4-year period.

Methods: This study focused on drug shortage episodes over the 52-month period from September 1, 2019, to December 31, 2023. Two data sources were used: the Canadian mandatory reporting website (both community and hospital settings) and hospital wholesaler data. Only descriptive statistical analyses were performed.

Results: From September 1, 2019, to December 31, 2023, a total of 10,975 drug shortage episodes and 1087 discontinuations were reported on the Canadian website, whereas 2562 drug shortage episodes were reported by the hospital wholesaler. The median duration of episodes was 51days according to reports at the Canadian website data versus 145days according to the wholesaler's data. The Canadian website data referred to a total of 184 manufacturers, whereas wholesaler data encompassed 83 manufacturers. Only 86 episodes were rated as Tier 3.

Conclusions: This study highlights the high number of drug shortages in Canada in recent years, both in the overall market and in the hospital market. Although the median duration of episodes has decreased across the country, the number of manufacturers involved has increased. The danger lies in considering the current situation as inevitable, normal and persistent.